As a taxpayer in the town of Hammond I am very disturbed about how the issue of industrial wind turbines in our town will be decided. ...Councilman Ronald Tully II, Councilman James Langtry and Supervisor Janie G. Hollister have a potential conflict of interest here, as they all either directly own property, or have relatives who own parcels of land (or both), in the town that falls within Hammond's wind overlay zone that are large enough to erect many of these proposed turbines.

An alert was issued to the birding community in Maryland about a bill that has been proposed in both the House of Delegates and the state Senate that would expedite the construction of wind farms at will. If you live in Maryland and care about the environment and wildlife, please contact your representatives in Annapolis and urge them to oppose this bill. The bill would eliminate any requirement for any public review or notification — or even informing adjacent land owners whose property values could plummet. Nor would there be any environmental review of the impact on wildlife, endangered species, or forest fragmentation. All an applicant for a wind project would have to do is request a construction permit from the Public Service Commission. Nobody is trying to keep wind farms out of the state — only to keep them subject to adequate review to ensure that the locations and construction methods that are chosen will not harm birds and other wildlife and plants.

I suspect that most, if not all, of the residents who voted against the turbines, agree with Mr. Elrick that the Gulf oil spill is a disaster. But to then draw the conclusion that the way to counter this is to place 400-feet wind turbines in residential areas stretches the point, and defies common sense. An oil spill disaster of this magnitude might have been avoided with better impartial oversight and foresight.

Turitea Wind Farm has been a controversial topic since it first became public and this newspaper has challenged and questioned how residents were consulted, why the decision was made, what it means and to share our readers' varied viewpoints. ...Adequate and proper consultation is required even if the decision at the end of the day is to go ahead with plans to turn the area into an abundant wind resource. That's all we are asking for, a voice.

Our land, culture and futures are too important to rush to one potential energy solution when so much is at stake. Too few have truly studied the emerging detriment, poor efficacy, and hidden costs - some irreversible - of industrial wind. Until that information is properly studied, evaluated and publicly available to the people of Hawaii, it cannot and should not be pursued or presented as the inevitable solution to our energy crisis.

Erecting thousands of wind turbines along a major migration corridor would seemingly fail a fundamental requirement for bird-safe wind energy: correct siting. A World Bank document about one of the Tehuantepec wind farms states "avian impacts are not expected to be significant," but a case study of another wind farm admits "concern about the potential cumulative impacts of the many additional wind farms planned in the same general area."

The proposed wind farm west of Hays, Kansas (in western Kansas) will represent a nightmare development for everyone living in the area. It is not a project driven by local needs, nor will it represent a net benefit to the Hays community. It is a project driven by individual and corporate greed that will export both the power and the profits. It is a four-year old conspiracy by a handful of greedy landowners to make huge profits and saddle this community with an ecological catastrophe for perpetuity. Representing only a few families, all inter-related by marriage, these people have been planning and pushing for such a project for at least four years now and they appear about to realize their dream - at the expense of their neighbors and the environment of the Hays community.

It gives me hope that a sane assessment of costs versus benefits will prevail over this destructive scheme to industrialize a huge proportion of Vermont’s unspoiled mountain landscape.

What the Siting Council chose to do in response to the new law was to create wind regulations based upon industry favorable siting requirements. States that have accepted development of wind turbines in populated areas are spending much time and money on the effects on neighbors who are truly suffering day to day.

There has been much discussion over Vermont's role in the local, regional and global energy solutions for the future. People from across the state may have differing views on the impact of energy on the environment and economy, but there is one point where there is consensus -- we must plan for Vermont's energy future together.

The Friends of the Boundary Mountains are opposed to the TransCanada request to rezone Kibby Mountain and the Kibby Range from a "protected mountain zone" to a zone that permits industrial development, which would enable the construction of a 44-tower wind power project. FBM invites the public to attend an evening of information and a free spaghetti dinner at the Stratton-Eustis Community Building on Friday, July 20 at 6 p.m. The purpose of the dinner is to explain FBM's reasons for opposing this wind project.

If indeed the wind farm idea is dead at this point and the company does not reapply in a year, there will be plenty of what-ifs strewn about in the coming days, months and even years. And Henman will always be remembered as the commissioner who voted it down. But Henman is right. The zoning rules and regulations do need revisions before something like this project is approved. ... Zoning is created to protect the rights of citizens from having large industrial complexes built near them, regardless of whether or not it is an environmentally friendly or highly lucrative industrial complex.

Why I support wind farms:

Now for the disturbing bits. The renewable energy field experts on the panel that evening were present to offer their views on the future of "green energy." Mr. Slaymaker, a representative of a wind turbine project builder/operator, claimed that those who object to wind turbines need only to be "educated" to turn them to the wind side. I, my wife, and dozens of other Stephenson County citizens who oppose the wind turbine project proposed for Lancaster Township have spent the past six months "educating" ourselves and the only thing that's turning is our stomachs.

The hero who installed the first wind turbine in New York "Wind Farmers of East 11th Street" (Aug. 3) was honored as a visionary. Then, reading between the lines, I realized: • The turbine was installed without regard for public safety. • The turbine was illegally grid-connected, possibly endangering linemen. • The turbine performance did not match that promised.

Before we choose to build an offshore wind power plant, we should be aware of some engineering problems with wind power. In particular, too much wind is a problem. ...Let's imagine that the facility was already built and operating. As winds pick up, windmills spin and generate a full 450 megawatts. When the wind speed hits about 55 mph, the windmills shut down for safety reasons. In about 2 minutes, the output from the facility goes from 450 megawatts to zero.

The fight to preserve our visual and cultural heritage has entered a new phase now. The outcome is in the hands of people who don’t know much about who we are or what’s really at stake here. We are on a political, legislative and regulatory track that is complex and has a mind of its own.

It is routine these days to read in newspapers or hear -- almost anywhere the subject of climate change comes up -- that the 1990s were the "warmest decade in a millennium" and that 1998 was the warmest year in the last 1,000. This assertion has become so accepted that it is often recited without qualification, and even without giving a source for the "fact." But a report soon to be released by the House Energy and Commerce Committee by three independent statisticians underlines yet again just how shaky this "consensus" view is, and how recent its vintage.

For a company that hopes to start construction on Virginia's first wind energy plant in the next few months, Highland New Wind Development appears to be dragging its heels. Recently, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation said it had not heard from the developer after requesting more information in its initial review. Last week, Virginia's Department of Historic Resources said it still awaits a view shed study, among other things, before it can offer recommendations for softening the impact of 400-foottowers on Highland County's tallest summit. In the last three months, updates from the developer to Highland's supervisors haven't yielded much new information. HNWD says it's still seeking investors, has not finalized a power purchase agreement, and cannot complete a final site plan because securing turbine equipment has become harder to do.

The actual politics of global warming defies Hollywood's stereotypes. It's not saints vs. sinners. The lifestyles that produce greenhouse gases are deeply ingrained in modern economies and societies. Without major changes in technology, the consequences may be unalterable. Those who believe that addressing global warming is a moral imperative face an equivalent moral imperative to be candid about the costs, difficulties and uncertainties.